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Queen opens new terminal
14/03/2008 19:44 - (SA)
London - Queen Elizabeth II opened Heathrow Airport's gleaming new Terminal 5 on Friday, a day after a security breach at the world's busiest international airport.
The queen and her husband, Prince Philip, toured the new facility under heavy security less than 24 hours after a man with a backpack scaled a Heathrow fence and ran onto an active runway, briefly impairing flight operations.
"This is a 21st century gateway for Britain," said the queen, who praised the new building as "environmentally responsible."
The queen, wearing a festive red hat, was met by executives from British Airways and airport operator BAA at the start of an extensive visit to the new facility, completed after more than five years of construction at a cost of £4.3bn.
World-class airport
The monarch's decision to open Terminal 5 personally - just as she opened the airport's first passenger terminal in 1955 _ reflects the importance of the new building, which officials believe will reverse the airport's reputation as a rundown, overcrowded facility.
Sir Nigel Rudd, chairperson of BAA, greeted the queen and said the terminal offers a new beginning for Heathrow.
Transportation Secretary Ruth Kelly called the building "a landmark structure" that will restore Heathrow's stature as a world-class airport.
The new terminal, the cornerstone of the faded airport's revival plan, is designed to handle up to 30 million passengers per year and to alleviate congestion at Heathrow's other terminals, which are all slated for refurbishment or replacement in the coming years.
Construction took more than five years but on time and without the cost overruns that have plagued other recent British mega-projects.
"This is a benchmark for 21st century terminal design and will be a catalyst for the transformation of Heathrow and confirm its place as the best international travel hub in Europe," said Mike Forster, strategy director at airport operator BAA, which also owns six other British airports. BAA is owned by Spanish construction Grupo Ferrovial SA.
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